By Bill W. Cooper
The Civil Society Education Coalition (CSEC) commended the Legislature for the steps taken to increase the country educational sector budget in the 2024 budget from 12 percent to 14.8 percent.
According to them, the state of the Liberia’s education is at a critical crossroads, where the potential for a brighter future for the youthful population is hindered by persistent challenges encompassing teaching and learning materials, school supplies, teachers’ remuneration, educational infrastructure among others.
The group maintained that while the Liberian government recognizes the paramount importance of education as enshrined in the constitution, guaranteeing equal access to educational opportunities and facilities for all citizens coupled with creating steps to address the educational needs of the country cannot be over-emphasized.
Through its spokesperson, Siemon L. Wee, the CSEC noted, “So the action by the legislature to increase the education budget symbiosis Liberia’s commitment to overcoming barriers that hinder quality education and paving a new path for reform and development in the educational sector of Liberia.”
Meanwhile, the CSEC are appealing to the government through the Legislature to continue its positive trend in the FY-2025 budget by ensuring that the education sector receives an additional increase of 5.2 percent to reach the targeted 20 percent of the national budget.
According to Wee, over the years, they have been advocating for the increase of the national education budget to 20 percent to meet international standards as stipulated by the Global Partnership for education and in alignment with the Liberian Government’s commitments at the at the Incheon declaration in 2015 and the Dakar framework 2000.
These commitments, she added are not just obligations, but a testament to Liberia’s dedication to providing quality education for its citizens, disclosing that compliance with this benchmark aligns with global best practices and provides necessary resources to bolster underfunded educational initiatives.
Addressing a news conference recently, the group is calling on the Ministry of Education (MOE) to invest in monitoring mechanisms that empower education stakeholders to track progress and drive meaningful improvements in the sector.
CSEC stated that the policy, when implemented will ensure an effective monitoring mechanism that will curb corruption, strengthen accountability and improve learning outcome across public schools in the country.
The CSEC is a conglomeration of Youth Movement for Collective Action (UMOVEMENT), Institute for Democratic Action and Development (IDAD), Institute for Research and Democratic Development (IREDD) and Development Education Network-Liberia (DEN-L).
Others are Integrity Watch Liberia (IWL), Survivors AID International Liberia (SAIL), Institute for Policy Evaluation and Research (IPER), and Youth Coalition for Education in Liberia (YOCEL) with sponsorship from the USADI-Liberia’s Civil Society Activity.
